Figures in the Fight for Legal iGaming in America

Until the mid-1970′s, Las Vegas casinos were, in large part, run by the mob. It was an ugly truth that much of the Nevada gaming industry chose to ignore, but not Dennis Gomes. This tough young go-getter was appointed as the head of Nevada’s Gaming Control Board’s Audit Division in 1971 and took it upon himself to clean up Sin City.

Gomes’ efforts at imposing order on regulated gambling met with plenty of resistance but were ultimately successful. Until Nevada cleaned up its act, regulated gambling didn’t stand a chance anywhere and for that, everyone in the US facing gambling industry owes Gomes a hearty, “Thanks!”

If Gomes story sounds familiar, it’s because the mafia version of those events were depicted in the book and movie, Casino. To hear Gomes’ side of the story check out the book, Hit Me!: Fighting the Las Vegas Mob by the Numbers, by his daughter Danielle.